Nehemiah 4:11
in Nehemiah 4And our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
KJV
And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
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This verse in Nehemiah 4
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThe hindering of good work is that which bad men aim at and promise themselves; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. The discouragements which the builders themselves laboured under. At the very time when the adversaries said, Let us cause the work to cease, Judah said, "Let us even let it fall, for we are not able to go forward with it,"
This site's exposition
The strength of the laborer fails
on Nehemiah 4:10-12
The builders lose heart before the enemy strikes a blow. The enemy's plan surfaces at the same moment, and Jews living nearby bring the warning "ten times over" (4:12). Discouragement and conspiracy arrive together, and the chapter answers them as one.
This site's exposition
Before they know or see a thing
The enemies' plan rests on surprise. Henry sets this threat beside the despair of Judah: the words of the enemies outside and of the people inside aimed at the same end. The plot fails at verse 15 once it is known.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And our enemies said: Let them not know and understand, etc. And this is always accustomed to be done in the spiritual building. For the tireless enemy remains with his satellites, namely unclean spirits and wicked men, who, caring less for the works of faith …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And our adversaries said, they shall not know,.... Our designs upon them: neither see; or perceive what we are about to do: till we come in the midst of them; with an army suddenly, at an unawares, and unexpected: and slay them; they being unarmed, and not prepared to defend themselves: and cause the work to cease; as it must in course, the builders being slain.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Nehemiah's vigilance anticipated every difficulty, his prudent measures defeated every obstruction, and with astonishing rapidity this Jerusalem was made again "a city fortified."
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The builders of the wall, etc. Those who were building the wall and those who were loading and carrying the loads were working with one hand, and carrying weapons with the other.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And it was from that day on And from that day on, half the mighty men worked at the building of the wall, and the remaining half of the mighty men were armed with weapons to guard their brethren who were doing the work.
And the builders How were they building? They were all girded, each one with his sword on his waist, and thus did they build.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| צָרֵ֗ינוּ | tzareinu | opponents our | H6862 → | 109 times |
| לֹ֤א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יֵדְעוּ֙ | yedeu | they will know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִרְא֔וּ | yiru | they will see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| עַ֛ד | ʾad | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָב֥וֹא | navo' | we will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| תּוֹכָ֖ם | tokham | [the] midst of them | H8432 → | 418 times |
| וַהֲרַגְנ֑וּם | vaharagnum | and we will kill them | H2026 → | 167 times |
| וְהִשְׁבַּ֖תְנוּ | vehishbatnu | and we will put an end to | H7673 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַמְּלָאכָֽה׃ | hamelakhah | the work | H4399 → | 167 times |
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
צָרֵ֗ינוּopponents our
tzareinuH6862 →109 times
לֹ֤אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יֵדְעוּ֙they will know
yedeuH3045 →945 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יִרְא֔וּthey will see
yiruH7200 →1300 times
עַ֛דuntil
ʾadH5704 →1261 times
אֲשֶׁר־that
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
נָב֥וֹאwe will come
navo'H935 →2568 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
תּוֹכָ֖ם[the] midst of them
tokhamH8432 →418 times
וַהֲרַגְנ֑וּםand we will kill them
vaharagnumH2026 →167 times
וְהִשְׁבַּ֖תְנוּand we will put an end to
vehishbatnuH7673 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַמְּלָאכָֽה׃the work
hamelakhahH4399 →167 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 23:12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
it leads to
- Acts 23:30
When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also instructed his accusers to present their case against him before you.
- Isaiah 8:9–10
Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
- Acts 23:21
Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they…
- Acts 23:14
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.
- Psalms 31:13
For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side. They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
- Acts 23:30
Through
Psalms 56:6They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps while they wait to take my life.
it leads to
- Acts 23:12–14
When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 71:10
For my enemies speak against me, and those who lie in wait for my life conspire,
- Psalms 59:3
See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.
- Acts 23:12–14
About Nehemiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.